


Homecoming

by Coromandel



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Christmas Eve, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 05:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13117386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coromandel/pseuds/Coromandel
Summary: Merry Christmas, NympheSama. Here's a little one-shot I wrote for you, and I hope you'll enjoy it.Many thanks to FawkesyLady who beta-read this for me. She's just the best. :)





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NympheSama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NympheSama/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, NympheSama. Here's a little one-shot I wrote for you, and I hope you'll enjoy it.   
> Many thanks to FawkesyLady who beta-read this for me. She's just the best. :)

The crisp white snow crunched under Peeta’s feet as he walked briskly towards the lone pub in District 12 on that chilly December night. He had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat to shield them against the wind, and as he spotted the warm, inviting light in the pub’s window, he quickened up his pace, desperate to warm up. In a rush to get there, he forgot about his gloves and hat, distracted by the prospect of seeing Katniss at last. 

 

The war was long over, and peace and prosperity had taken root in District 12 for the very first time, with small shops and new housing developments popping up all over the place as its inhabitants found themselves able to travel and trade with other districts. This new free movement had brought many newcomers to the area and the increased investment from the Capitol meant that the people were thriving, enjoying new opportunities, new jobs and better education. Children were no longer starving. The people were happy. 

 

This couldn’t be said for Peeta, however. He and Katniss may have been the liberators responsible for bringing freedom to the people of Panem, but their turbulent past cast a long, dark shadow on their relationship. They had given it a good shot, but drifted apart as Katniss descended into depression after Prim’s tragic death. Without her little sister, the Girl on Fire had been reduced to a pile of ash, moping around her enormous mansion, whimpering in quiet corners in the middle of the night. She had relied on Peeta for strength in the immediate aftermath of the war, but eventually broke it off, asking for him to move out. 

 

After that, he had thrown himself fully into rebuilding Panem. He left District 12 and took up residence in the Capitol, and travelled all across the land to help with the reparations, in a futile effort to distance himself from Katniss. Hard work kept him busy, that was true, but didn’t ease his suffering. He had left his heart in District 12 and struggled to live without it. 

 

The message he received three days before Christmas knocked him off his feet. There it was, on a small piece of paper, saying, ‘Please meet me in the pub on Christmas Eve. Katniss’. Peeta cancelled all meetings immediately and left the Capitol without a word or explanation, travelling back to his home district at neck-breaking speed. He was anxious, not knowing what he would find, but the desperate hope that blossomed in his chest would not be denied. 

 

He opened the front door and stepped into the pub. It was lovely, warm and well-kept, rebuilt after the bombings. He looked around nervously, half-expecting to be disappointed, but there she was, sitting in the corner, nursing a pint. The sight of her caused a lump to form in his throat. She had her hair braided in her signature side plait and was dressed in a pair of black jeans with a dark green jacket, and she appeared much healthier than the last time he saw her. The premature lines of stress and horrors untold were still visible in her face, but she lacked that dead, empty look behind her eyes. 

 

She looked up at him from beneath her fringe as he approached her table, her doe-like eyes crinkling at the corners as she gave him a welcoming smile. Peeta returned it, hiding his discomfort, although his heart was beating furiously and h e felt the world tilt back into balance, as though he had been compensating so long that this firmer ground felt alien . He was so close to her now that he could count the smattering of light freckles on her nose, and his throat constricted dangerously, stealing his ability to speak. 

 

‘Hello, Peeta.’ She said finally, her voice raspy and a little uncertain, as though she too was a ball of nerves. 

 

Peeta sat himself down on the chair opposite Katniss and replied, ‘H-Hello to you too. You… you look well.’ 

 

Katniss’ smile widened and she looked away, inspecting the contents of her pint glass. ‘Thanks.’ She took in a deep, shuddering breath and added, ‘How’s the Capitol treating you?’ 

 

Peeta replied, ‘Alright’, keeping his voice casual and his posture relaxed, although his insides seemed hell bent on turning themselves inside out. ‘We’ve received planning permission for new social housing and built a couple of new schools in District 9. The birth rate had increased massively since the end of the war and the government is struggling to meet the demand!’ 

 

Katniss nodded. ‘That’s good, that’s good… how are Haymitch and Effie?’

 

Peeta chuckled, ‘The triplets are keeping them busy, but that didn’t stop them from having more children. Effie is due any day now. They are having yet another girl!’ 

 

‘Poor Haymitch, he’s completely outnumbered!’ Katniss snorted into her glass, her eyes warming up. ‘No idea how he copes.’

 

An awkward silence fell between them, and Peeta began to fidget. Finally, he asked, ‘And how have you been, Katniss? You look… different. Happier.’ 

 

Katniss sighed. ‘Ah… I think I’m getting my life back on track, you know. I’ve started going out again. Talking to people. I joined a book club and I help out at the primary school. There’s… still a lot of work to do, but everything is improving.’ 

 

Peeta smiled lightly. ‘I am glad to hear that.’

 

‘I just felt like… like everybody was moving forward and I had been left behind to wallow in my own misery. It… took a while, but I realised that I have to carry on living. If I don’t, it means  _ they _ ’ve won.’

 

She did not have to explain who ‘they’ were. Peeta reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it in sympathy, saying nothing. She continued, ‘And I’ve missed you, you know. I… I wanted to write to you last Christmas, but after how I treated you… I’m sorry, Peeta. I wasn’t in a good place back then.’ 

 

Peeta could hardly speak. Elated, he squeaked, ‘I understand, Katniss. I missed you too. So much…’ 

 

Katniss whispered, ‘You reminded me of the Games.  I couldn't look at you without being thrown back to the time where I might be forced to kill you or be killed by you. It felt wrong for us to survive, to find happiness when so many people never had the chance. I thought I could do it by chasing you away, but then I found myself lost without you. You’ve become such an… essential part of me and I need you in my life more than words can say.’ 

 

Peeta had to close his eyes. He felt dizzy, and could not believe that this was real, that the love of his life was sitting so close to him, saying the things he had only imagined in his wildest dreams since they had split up. He croaked out, ‘Katniss…’

 

‘I understand if you’ve moved on, but I  needed to apologise. To explain myself. I'm more sorry than I can say that I hurt you. Peeta, please. I don’t want to spend another day, another Christmas without you. Would you… would you have me back?’ 

 

Peeta did not reply. Instead, he shot out of his chair and walked around to where she sat. Her eyes widened as he lowered his face to hers and gently pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her gently, unhurriedly, as though through this he could convey every last feeling that he had for her. Adoration. Admiration. Love. His burning desire to keep her - this time for good. 

 

At length, as though to check the veracity of his senses, Peeta pulled back and looked into his love's eyes. He breathed in her light citrus scent, and carefully, as though he might scare her away, he brushed her cheek with gentle fingers, tracing the line of her jaw before moving to brush a stray strand of hair that escaped her braid back behind her ear.  Smiling, he whispered, ‘This is the best Christmas gift you could have given me, Katniss. I haven’t moved on. I don’t want anyone else.’ 

 

Katniss stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She said, ‘I love you’, her voice thick with unshed tears. 

 

‘And I love you.’ Peeta held her tight to his chest and stroked her hair gently, placing feather light kisses on her head. He mumbled, ‘Shall we go home?’ 

 

She looked up at him, her mouth stretching into the wide, radiant smile he loved so much, a glint of mischief appearing in her eyes. ‘And decorate the Christmas tree? I bought one, just in case.’ 

 

Peeta chuckled. ‘We can decorate the whole house if you wish. Anything to make you happy.’ 

 

‘Then yes, darling. Let’s go home.’ 


End file.
